Method and apparatus for transporting plastics in a melted state

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided to transport parisons (10) from the extrusion die (12) to a second location. The parison (10) is extruded and a collar means (20,30,46,49) is provided to contact the parison (10) near its upper end and create a holding geometry whereby the parison (10) is retained by the collar means (20,30,46,49) without pinching the parison (10). The parison (10) is then transported vertically or horizontally to the mold unit (11,13) without closing or pinching the parison (10). The holding geometry is created by slightly deforming the parison (10) wall near the collar means (20,30,46,49). The parison (10) is therefore transported to the second location, for example a mold unit (11,13), instead of moving the mold unit (11,13), to the parison (10).

Description: This invention relates in general to a method and apparatus for making hollow plastic products, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for transporting the parison of molten plastic to a second location, such as a mold unit, without pinching the parison before the parison is in the second location. It is well known in the art to make hollow plastic products such as containers or other like products using the extrusion blow-molding process. In the extrusion blow-molding process, plastic in a melted state is introduced into a mold. The molten plastic is generally extruded into a cylindrically-shaped tube or hose referred to as a parison. The mold is closed and the interior of the mold is then pressurized to force the melted plastic onto the interior walls of the mold, which is then allowed to cool so that the plastic solidifies. The end product is a hollow plastic product having the shape of the interior of the mold. In some applications, such as the production of fuel tanks for automobiles, the parisons may be 2.44m (8 feet) or more in length. In the extrusion blow-molding process, the parison is formed by pressing the melted plastic through a die in one or two ways, either by the accumulator method or by the continuous extrusion method. In the accumulator method, a hydraulic means intermittently forces the melted plastic through the die to form the parisons. In the continuous method, the melted plastic flows continuously through the die to form the parison. Previously, only small and mid-size plastic hollow products could be produced using the continuous extrusion blow-molding method. Recent developments in the art of blow-molding have allowed the production of larger sized products using the continuous method. In order to produce the larger containers, however, correspondingly larger equipment is required. As well, the parison must be correspondingly larger in diameter and length. For this reason, two different versions of the continuous extrusion blow-molding process are known. In the first version, the die is located above the mold unit and the parison is transported vertically down into the mold unit. The disadvantage with this version of the method is that the equipment is very tall where large products are to be produced. In some applications, the equipment can be as high as 12.2 to 13.73m (40 to 45 feet). Therefore, much taller buildings are required to house the equipment. A further disadvantage of the vertical transportation version of the continuous process is that the parison must be carried into the mold unit, which is now done by pinching the upper end of the parison, separating it from the die and lowering it into the mold unit. This pinching and vertical movement, however, often causes the larger sized parisons to collapse or flatten onto each other. That is, the pinching of the upper end causes the parison wall to collapse throughout the entire length of the parison rather than the parison retaining its generally cylindrical shape. This creates further difficulties in the overall manufacturing process since the lower end of the parison closes, thereby preventing the parison from being located properly in the mold area. By "pinching" it is meant that the wall of the parison is brought together so that the inside of the wall touches itself and the parison is closed. The second version of the continuous extrusion process includes shutting off the machine clamping units. In this method, at least two mold units mounted on individual clamping units are used for each parison-forming die. The die is typically located between the two or more mold units, and the clamping units are each moved in turn under the die so the mold units can receive the parison. Thus, this method requires a substantial amount of floor space in order to operate the equipment and accommodate the two or more clamping units. As well, the clamping units used for larger products can be very heavy (up to 45000kg (100,000lbs) each), therefore they must be mounted on moving steel frame structures with drives and rails. This, of course, makes the equipment relatively very expensive. As well, the power consumption required to accelerate, move and stop the units is great. Various devices for carrying parisons are disclosed in the art. In US patent No. 3.000.051, a method and apparatus for manufacturing hollow articles from melted plastic tubes (i.e. parisons) is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method and apparatus for handling a heated, vertically extruded tube or rod of thermal plastic material prior to enclosing the tube into a mold. The parison is extruded between two vertically-spaced pairs of horizontally aligned holding members. The two lower holding members are provided in opposed vertical surfaces with identical tube-engaging notches having a generally tapered configuration. The parison is extruded and the bottom tube holding members are moved toward each other until they abut. At that point, the cooperating notches define an aperture that is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the extruded parison so that the lower portions of the parison are grasped with sufficient firmness by the holding members to provide vertical support for the parison. On the other hand, the top pair of tube holding members also have tube engaging notches, but the aperture defined by the top tube holding members is slightly larger than the diameter of the parison so that the top holding members do not engage the parison wall. Therefore, only the bottom pair of tube holding members actually engage and vertically support the parison. The top tube holding members do not engage the parison wall. As well, the parison is only moved vertically from the extruder to the mold, there is no mention of the holding members being capable of moving the parison horizontally. US patent No. 4.153.408 discloses a gripping device for holding the parison, and a method for extrusion blowing hollow articles in which the parison is transferred from the extrusion die to a blow mold by means of the gripper device. The gripper device includes gripper jaws that grip the parison as it issues from the extruder. The gripper jaws move in scissor-like fashion so that the top of the parison is pinched by the gripper jaws. Therefore, this gripper device requires the parison to be pinched in order to be retained within the gripping device. US patent No. 4.761.130 discloses a method and apparatus for blow-molding square-shaped articles. The parison must be pinched at both ends. US patent No. 4.770.839 also discloses a blow-molding method in which the parison must be pinched. It is known from DE-B-1163000 to provide a method of transporting a parison from an extrusion die to a second location comprising the steps of: a) bringing two collar means having inner faces into contact with an upper end of the parison extruded from the die; b) deforming the upper end of the parison to conform to the geometry of the inner faces such that the parison is retained by the collar means without closing the parison; c) separating the parison from the die without closing the parison; d) transporting the parison to the second location by moving the collar means without closing the parison. Similar methods are also known from US-A-3304357 and FR-A-1453349. It is also known to provide an apparatus for transporting a parison from an extrusion die to a second location comprising two collar means having inner faces, means for moving the collar means into contact with the upper end of the parison to deform the upper end of the parison into conformity with the geometry of the inner faces, such that the parison is retained by the collar means without closing the parison, the means for moving the collar means being operable to separate the parison from the die and to transport it to a second location without closing the parison. The present invention eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art, and of the vertical transportation and shuttling versions of the continuous extrusion blow-molding process known so far. The present invention provides a parison carrying device that carries the parison to the mold unit without moving the mold units themselves, without requiring the mold unit to be located immediately under the die and without pinching the parison during transportation of the parison to the mold unit to minimize the likelihood of the parison collapsing. The present invention provides means for closing the upper end of the parison when the parison is in the mold unit, to enable the interior of the parison to be pressurized prior to the mold closing. A method of transporting a parison from an extrusion die to a second location according to the invention is characterised in that each collar means comprises a pair of hinged pinching arms, the inner faces of each pair of pinching arms together defining a non-circular geometry when the collar means contact the upper end of the parison, the method including the step of: e) urging the collar means together to cause each pair of hinged pinching arms to straighten and close the upper end of the parison when the parison is in the second location. Apparatus for transporting a parison from an extrusion die to a second location according to the invention is characterised in that each collar means comprises a pair of hinged pinching arms , the inner faces of each pair of pinching arms together defining a non-circular geometry when the collar means contact the upper end of the parison, the means for moving the collar means being operable to urge the collar means together to cause each pair of hinged pinching arms to straighten and close the upper end of the parison when the parison is in the second location. Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic drawing showing in a general way the method and apparatus of the present invention; Figures 2A to 2C show a top view of one embodiment of the parison carrying device of the present invention; Figures 3A-3C show the vacuum method embodiment of the parison carrying device of the present invention; Figures 4A-4C show the pressure method embodiment of the parison carrying device of the present invention; Figures 5A-5C show the mechanically pressing method of the parison carrying device of the present invention; and Figures 6A-6C show a further embodiment of the parison carrying device of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, one embodiment of the process of the present invention is illustrated in a general way. A generally cylindrically-shaped parison 10 is shown formed by passage of melted plastic through a die 12. The parison 10 is formed generally in the shape of a cylinder, but other shapes may also be used. Two mold units 11 and 13 are shown located on either side of die 12. Mold units 11 and 13 remain stationary. The parison carrying device of the present invention (not shown in Figure 1) carries parisons to each of mold units 11 and 13 where the parisons are formed by the molds into finished hollow products. Thus, in the process of the present invention, the parison 10 is moved to the mold units 11 and 13 rather than the mold units 11 and 13 moving to the parison 10. As well, the die 12 need not be located immediately above a mold unit, thus having the advantage of decreasing the overall height of the equipment. Accordingly, many of the disadvantages of the prior art are eliminated. Figures 2A to 2C are schematic top views of one embodiment of the parison carrying device of the present invention. In this embodiment, which is described by way of example only, the open upper end of the parison can be closed for pre-inflation purposes once the parison is in the mold unit. In the specific embodiment shown in Figures 2A-2C, the parison carrying device itself closes the upper end of parison 10 when the parison 10 is in the mold unit. As shown in Figure 2A, the parison carrying device is initially generally square-shaped. The parison carrying device comprises two support arms 50 and 52, each having two pinching arms 51 pivotally connected thereto. Parison 10 is separated from a die (not shown) and carried to a mold unit (not shown) by moving support arms 50 towards parison 10, thereby causing the free ends of the pinching arms 51 to contact each other (shown in Figure 2B). As such, the parison wall 18 is forced to take the shape defined by the four pinching arms 51, namely a square shape. The pinching arms 51 act like collar means (described in more detail below) so as to create a holding geometry to retain parison 10 therein. Thus, parison 10 can then be carried to the mold unit without pinching, thereby reducing the likelihood of total collapse of parison 10. Once parison 10 is properly located in the mold unit, support arms 50 and 51 are moved closer, causing the two pinching arms 51 on each of support arms 50 to 52 to straighten, thereby pinching the upper end of parison 10 by bringing the parison wail 18 together (as shown in Figure 2C). As such, when the parison 10 is in the mold, the upper end of parison 10 is closed allowing for the interior of parison 10 to be pressurised. The problems associated with the premature collapse of the parison are eliminated because parison 10 is already properly located in the mold unit prior to pinching of its upper end. If total collapse occurs, the result is insignificant since the parison 10 is already properly located in the mold unit. Figures 3 to 6 illustrate different embodiments of the parison carrying device of the present invention. In Figures 3A to 3C, there is shown a cross-sectional view of the parison 10 being formed by passage of melted plastic through die 12. The parison 10 is preferably cylindrical in shape. As described above, the parison carrying device comprises two pinching arms that act like collar means. The pinching arms of the parison carrying device of the present invention grasps and retains the parison 10, separates the parison 10 from the die 12 without pinching the parison 10 and transports the parison 10 to a mold unit (not shown) also without pinching the parison 10. The parison carrying device of the present invention allows the parison 10 to be separated from the die 12 and carried to the mold unit without pinching the parison 10, and therefore, without causing the inside of the parison 10 to be closed. The parison carrying device of the present invention does so by means of the pinching arms that provide a stabilising collar around parison 10 which causes the parison wall 18 in the area of the collar to be firmly retained by the collar, allowing the parison 10 to be separated from the die and carried to the mold unit without pinching. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3A to 3C, the parison carrying device of the present invention includes two collar means 14 each in the form of two pinching arms as previously described. The collar means are initially separated from the parison 10 as shown in Figure 3A. When the required length of parison 10 has been extruded from the die 12 and is ready to be separated from the die 12 and carried to the mold unit, collar means 14 are moved towards the parison 10 in the directions of arrows 20 until they are around the parison 10. The interior of each of the pinching arms of collar means 14 includes a cavity 16 in which a vacuum is applied by known means. The cavity 16 extends to the inner face 19 of collar means 14 and terminates at notch 21. As collar means 14 contact the parison wall 18 in the area of collar means 14 to be deformed and "sucked" into notch 21. The portion of the parison wall 18 that is so sucked into notch 21 is retained therein. This action of the collar means 14 on the parison wall 18 creates a holding geometry that retains the parison wall 18 in the collar means 14. Once the holding geometry on parison wall 18 is formed, the parison carrying device is able to hold and retain the parison 10 without pinching of the parison walls 18. Therefore, in this embodiment of the parison carrying device of the present invention, collar means 14 first move in the direction of arrows 20 as shown in Figure 3A until the inner face 19 is in contact with the parison wall 18. Once the parison wall 18 is retained by the collar means 14, as described above, the parison carrying device moves in the direction of arrows 22 in Figure 3B. Since the parison 10 is retained within the parison carrying device, parison 10 also moves in the direction of arrows 22, thereby separating and removing parison 10 from die 12 without pinching the parison wall 18. To facilitate separation of the parison 10, the die 12 may optionally be provided with a rod 23 disposed within the opening 25 of the die 12. Rod 23 can be moved (typically by a hydraulic piston which is not shown) so that the opening 25 is closed, thereby cutting the parison 10 from the molten plastic in the die 12 and separating it from the die 12. The parison 10 is then carried by the parison carrying device to one of mold units 11 or 13 (not shown in Figures 3A to 3C) for processing into a hollow product, such as an automobile fuel tank. Since parison 10 is not pinched when it is separated from die 12 or transported to the mold unit, it is unlikely to collapse or flatten over its entire length, thus making it easy to ensure that parison 10 is properly placed within the mold unit. As described above, once the parison 10 is located in the mold unit, the upper end of the parison 10 can be pinched by means of the pinching arms. Figures 4A-4C show in cross-sectional view a further embodiment of the parison carrying device of the present invention, namely the use of pressure rather than vacuum. In this embodiment, the parison carrying device includes at least two second collar means 30, each having pinching arms as described above. Second collar means 30 differ from collar means 14 of Figures 3A to 3C in that second collar means 30 do not have a cavity 16 in which vacuum is applied, although second collar means 30 have a notch 31 similar to the notch 21 of collar means 14. As shown in Figure 4A, parison 10 is formed by die 12. Second collar means 30 are initially separated from parison wall 18. When the required length of parison 10 is extruded and the parison 10 is to be separated from die 12, second collar means 30 are moved towards the parison wall 18 in the direction of arrows 32 until second collar means 30 contact the parison wall 18. The parison carrying device illustrated in Figures 4A to 4C includes a core member 34 disposed adjacent to the opening of die 12. Core 34 comprises a series of inner passage ways 36 including passages that extend radially from the centre of core 34 and terminate at the peripheral face of core 34. As better illustrated in Figure 4B, once second collar means 30 are around parison wall 18, increased pressure is applied in passage ways 36 or core 34. Since the passage ways 36 extend radially through the core member 34 and terminate opposite notch 31 of second collar means 30, the increased pressure within passage ways 36 causes the parison wall 18 to be "pushed" against second collar means 30 and into notch 31. The portion of the parison wall 18 in the notch 31 is retained therein, thus the internal pressure within passage ways 36 forces the parison wall 18 to form the holding geometry in second collar means 30. Once the holding geometry is formed within second collar means 30, the parison carrying device is moved in the direction of arrow 38, thereby separating and removing parison 10 from die 12 without pinching parison wall 18. Parison 10 can then be transported to the mold units also without pinching thereby alleviating the risk of the parison 10 flattening and collapsing onto itself. Another embodiment of the parison carrying device of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 5A-5C. This third embodiment uses a mechanically pressing method for creating the holding geometry on parison wall 18. In Figure 5A, parison 10 is shown being formed by the die 12. In this embodiment of the present invention, a core 40 is disposed adjacent the opening of die 12. Core 40 includes slanting annular face 42. The parison carrying device shown in Figures 5A to 5C comprises at least two third collar means 46, each having a pair of pinching arms which, in this embodiment, have slanted faces 47 corresponding to annular face 42. As shown in Figure 5B, when third collar means 46 are moved to contact parison wall 18, the portion of the parison wall 18 in the area of third collar means 46 is trapped between annular face 42 and the corresponding slanting faces 47 on third collar means 46. This creates the holding geometry for parison wall 18, thereby retaining parison 10 in the parison carrying device. In Figure 5C, the parison carrying device is shown moving in the directions of arrow 48. As such, parison 10 is separated and removed from die 12 without pinching of the parison wall 18. A further embodiment is illustrated in Figure 6A to 6C. Figure 6A is a close up view of a collar means 49a. Collar means 49a has a pair of pinching arms as described above. On the inner face of collar means 49a is a notch 49b defined by two slidably mounted elements 49c and 49d. Parison wall 18 is shown after collar means 49a was placed in contact with the parison 10 and a portion of parison wall 18 forced into notch 49b by one of the methods shown in Figures 3A-3C or Figures 4A-4C. Once parison wall 18 is in notch 49c, elements 49c and 49d are moved in the direction of arrows 49e and 49f, respectively, as shown in Figure 6B. The portion of parison wall 18 within notch 49c is thereby squeezed between elements 49c and 49d. The result is an annular ridge 49g of the parison wall 18 circling around parison 10. The annular ridge 49g is retained in the notch 49b, thereby forming a holding geometry allowing parison 10 to be carried securely by the parison carrying device. This embodiment of the parison carrying device is useful for bigger, heavier parisons as the holding geometry created provides a firmer hold on the parison 10. Therefore, the four embodiments of the parison carrying device of the present invention illustrated in Figures 3 to 6 create a holding geometry of various sizes and shapes on the portion of the parison 10 in the area of the collar means and pinching arms. The holding geometry is, in essence, a pocket of parison wall 18 formed neat the upper end of parison which allows parison to be retained by the collar means without pinching the parison 10 until the parison 10 is properly located in the mold unit. Therefore, the parison carrying device of the present invention allows the upper end of the parison 10 to remain opened (that is, not pinched), while at the same time, providing a strong retaining grip on the parison 10 for carrying it to the mold area. For a large number of products made using the extrusion blow molding process, it is required that the parison, once it is located in the mold unit, be pressurised prior to closing of the mold unit. Typically, the parison is pressurised to pressures of about 1054 (1.5) to 1406kg/m 2 (2psi). As such, the upper end of the parison, which remains open when the parison carrying device of the present invention is used, must be closed so that the parison can be suitably pressurised. In summary of this disclosure, the parison carrying device of the present invention includes collar means comprising two pinching arms that assist in creating a holding geometry near the upper end of the parison that allows the parison to be retained within the carrying device without pinching the parison wall. The parison can then be separated from the die and transported to the mold unit. The mold unit can thus be stationary and need not be located immediately below the die. The present invention includes means for closing the opened end of the parison when in the mold unit to enable pressure to be built up within the parison prior to the mold closing. Modifications and alterations to all the embodiments described herein and falling within the scope of the claims are envisaged.

Claims: A method of transporting a parison (10) from an extrusion die (12) to a second location comprising the steps of: a) bringing two collar means (14,39,46,49a) having inner faces (19) into contact with an upper end of the parison (10) extruded from the die (12); b) deforming the upper end of the parison (10) to conform to the geometry of the inner faces (19) such that the parison (10) is retained by the collar means (14,30,36,49a) without closing the parison (10); c) separating the parison (10) from the die (12) without closing the parison (10); d) transporting the parison (10) to the second location by moving the collar means (14,30,46,49a) without closing the parison (10); characterised in that each collar means comprises a pair of hinged pinching arms (51), the inner faces (19) of each pair of pinching arms (51) together defining a non-circular geometry when the collar means (14,30,46,49a) contact the upper end of the parison (10), the method including the step of: e) urging the collar means (14,30,46,49a) together to cause each pair of hinged pinching arms (51) to straighten and close the upper end of the parison (10), when the parison is in the second location. A method according to claim 1 wherein step (b) includes the step of creating a vacuum in a cavity (16) terminating in at least one notch (12) at the inner face (19) of each pair of pinching arms (51) to thereby cause the parison (10) to deform to conform to the geometry of the inner face (19) of the pinching arms (51) and the or each notch (12). A method according to claim 1 wherein step (b) includes the step of pressurising a plurality of inner passages (36) extending radially outwardly from a core member (34,40) terminating at a peripheral face that contacts the inside of the parison (10) during extrusion to thereby cause the parison (10) to conform to the geometry of the inner faces (19) of the pinching arms (51) and one or more notch (31) provided at the inner faces (19) of the pinching arms (51). A method according to claim 1 wherein step (b)includes the step of trapping the parison (10) between angled inner faces (47) of the pinching arms (51) and a peripheral face (42) of a core member (34,40) that contacts the inside of the parison (10) during extrusion, the peripheral face (42) being angled in the opposite direction to the angled inner faces (47) of the pinching arms (51) such that the peripheral (42) and inner faces (47) cooperate with each other to thereby deform the parison (10) to conform to the geometry of the inner faces (47) of the pinching arms (51). A method according to claims 2 or 3 wherein step (b) further includes the step of slidably moving two slidably mounted elements (49c,49d) on each inner face (19) of the pinching arms (51) toward each other to squeeze a portion of the parison (10) into a notch (49b) defined by the elements (49c,49d) to create an angular ridge (49g) around the parison (10) such that the parison (10) is retained by the pinching arms (51). An apparatus for transporting a parison (10) from an extrusion die (12) to a second location comprising two collar means (14,30,46,49a) having inner faces (19), means for moving the collar means (14,30,46,49a) into contact with the upper end of the parison (10) to deform the upper end of the parison (10) into conformity with the geometry of the inner faces (19), such that the parison (10) is retained by the collar means (14,30,46,49a) without closing the parison (10), the means for moving the collar means (14,30,46,49a) being operable to separate the parison (10) from the die (12) and to transport it to a second location without closing the parison (10), characterised in that each collar means comprises a pair of hinged pinching arms (51), the inner faces (19) of each pair of pinching arms (51) together define a non-circular geometry when the collar means (14,30,46,49a) contact the upper end of the parison (10), the means for moving the collar means (14,30,46,49a) being operable to urge the collar means (14,30,46,49a) together to cause each pair of hinged pinching arms (51) to straighten and close the upper end of the parison (10), when the parison (10) is in the second location. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the pinching arms (51) includes means for creating a vacuum in a cavity (16) terminating in at least one notch (12) at the inner faces (19) of the pinching arms (51) to thereby cause the parison (10) to deform to conform to the geometry of the inner faces (19) of the pinching arms (51) and the or each notch (12). An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the means for deforming the parison (10) includes means for pressurising a plurality of inner passages (36) extending radially outwardly from a core member (34,40) and terminating at a peripheral face that contacts the inside of the parison (10) during extrusion to cause the parison (10) to conform to the geometry of the inner face (19) of the pinching arms (51) and one or more notch (31) provided at the inner faces (19) of the pinching arms (51). An apparatus according to claim 7 or 8 wherein the means for deforming the parison (10) includes means for trapping the parison (10) between angled inner faces (47) of the pinching arms (51) and a peripheral face (40) of a core member (34,40) that contacts the inside of the parison (10) during extrusion, the peripheral face (42) being angled in the opposite direction to the angled inner faces (47) of the pinching arms (51) such that the peripheral and inner faces (42,47) cooperate with each other. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the means for deforming the parison (10) includes means for sliding two slidably mounted elements (49c,49d) on each inner face (19) of the pinching arms (51) towards each other to squeeze a portion of the parison (10) into a notch (49b) defined by the elements (49c,49d) to create an annular ridge (49g) around the outside of the parison (10) such that the parison (10) is retained by the pinching arms (51) without closing the parison (10). An apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 10 wherein the parison (10) is tubular in shape. The apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 11 wherein the second location is a mold unit.

Inventors: SCHWOCHERT HANS, SCHWOCHERT, HANS
Applicants: SCHWOCHERT INC, SCHWOCHERT INC.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B29C49
IPC codes: B29C49